Grasslands Observatory

Grasslands Observatory is a private astronomical research facility in the Sonoita-Elgin area near Tucson, Arizona, dedicated to tracking comets and asteroids from a dark, remote site.

About Grasslands Observatory

The observatory was founded in 1985 by Tim Hunter on twenty acres of remote land southeast of Tucson. It operates under the direction of James McGaha and has built a reputation among amateur and professional astronomers for its comet observation and asteroid monitoring programmes.

History

Grasslands Observatory has a notable place in dark-sky advocacy: Tim Hunter co-founded the International Dark-Sky Association (IDA) in 1987, two years after establishing the observatory, tying the site to the movement's early history.

Telescopes & research

The observatory's work centres on monitoring comets and near-Earth asteroids, contributing observations that feed into the broader network of amateur research stations tracking solar-system objects.

Location & getting there

Grasslands Observatory sits in a remote, rural stretch of the Sonoita-Elgin area of southern Arizona, chosen specifically for its dark skies away from Tucson's light pollution, within the North America region Star Register tracks.

Visiting Grasslands Observatory

As a private research site, Grasslands Observatory is not set up for casual walk-in visits; anyone interested in touring the facility or its programmes should look for current contact details before planning a trip.

See your named star from here

Every star named through Star Register comes with precise coordinates, the kind of data an observatory like this uses daily to track objects in the sky. Explore the options in our star-naming packages or browse the catalogue to find a star suited to this observatory's dark-sky setting.